Faces of Evil [4] Rage by Debra Webb Page B

and joined her. “Let me guess, they’re waiting for us.”
    “Burnett started without us but he assured Mayor Pratt and the others that you were five minutes away.”
    “Great.” Jess headed for the corner of the block. “I want you to find out everything you can about Leslie and Devon Chambers. Where are the parents? How many times in the past year have the utilities been disconnected?” Lori was busily typing notes into her phone as Jess listed off her questions. “Is Devon high-functioning autistic? Where does he go to school? Does he have a psychologist or other specialist keeping tabs on him?” Jess had a feeling about those two. “There’s an issue but maybe not one of a criminal nature. Maybe just a sad one. They may need help that they either don’t know how to ask for or are afraid to ask for.”
    She paused to meet her friend and colleague’s gaze. “My instincts are screaming at me that they might almost need us more than we need them.”
    Lori tapped the screen of her smart phone. “I’ll get on this list right away.”
    One of these days Jess was going to have to learn to do that. She was still dragging around pad and pencil. Truth be told, she preferred it. Since she was old enough to go to school, she’d always loved the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, even if she’d disliked using one in the classroom.
    Her cell clanged. She should’ve left it on vibrate. At the end of the Graysons’ driveway she checked the screen. Lily . Her sister.
    The call went to voice mail to join the other four Lily had left since midnight last night.
    “The chief?” Lori asked as they resumed their trek toward her car.
    “My sister.” Her phone started clanging again. “Damn it, Lily, I don’t have time to chat.” Jess heaved a frustrated breath and dragged out her phone. “Hey, Lily. What’s up?”
    “That odd old man called,” Lily announced.
    A wrinkle-inducing scowl tugged at Jess’s face. She rubbed at it with her free hand. “What odd man, Lily?”
    “The one from church who called my house in the middle of the night last night and told me he’d seen you on the news and offered a garage apartment for you to rent.”
    Jess held her tongue to the count of five. “Lily, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “You didn’t listen to my voice mails?”
    Busted. “No. I’ve been investigating a murder all day. I haven’t listened to any voice mails.” That was the God’s truth. She had six others since eight this morning.
    “Anyway,” Lily griped, “Mr. Louis belongs to my church. He’s a widower I think and about a hundred years old. He doesn’t talk to anyone, ever. I almost fainted when he called my house last night.”
    “Lil, get to the point, please.” Burnett was going to kill her for sure.
    “He lives in Forest Park in one of those beautiful old Craftsman-style homes but he’s odd, Jess. I can’t vouch for him but my minister says he’s fine.”
    Oh my God. “You talked to your minister about my living arrangements?”
    “You’re my sister. Of course I talked to my minister. I talk to him about everything. You need a place to stay and I added you to the prayer chain. Someone contacted Mr. Louis and he called me. He has a place to offer. But I don’t really know him. I mean, really know him.”
    “Just give me his address and number, Lil. I spent nearly two decades in the bureau, I’m deputy chief, for goodness sakes. I think I can vet my own landlords.” Jess grabbed back control just in time. Her voice had already climbed two octaves.
    “You are so hardheaded,” Lily complained. “Nine-nine-one-one Conroy Road.”
    Jess repeated the address and then the phone number so Lori could add it to her nifty electronic list.
    “I don’t know why you’re even considering this, Jess. You should be staying with me. Your only sister in the whole world.”
    “Thank you, Lil. Love you!” Jess ended the call. She had to do something soon. Between her sister and